


Lichtenberg

by Dorthea



Series: When lightning strikes... [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: BAMF Felicity Smoak, Barry Allen & Felicity Smoak Friendship, Coma, Comatose Barry Allen, Good Friend John Diggle, Good Parent Joe West, Hurt Barry Allen, John Diggle & Oliver Queen Friendship, Lichtenberg, Medical Conditions, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Trauma, Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak friendship, Oliver Queen Being an Asshole, Oliver Queen Needs a Hug, Overprotective Joe West, POV Oliver Queen, Parent Joe West, Protective Felicity Smoak, Protective Joe West, Protective John Diggle, Protective Oliver, Protective Parent Joe West, Worried Oliver Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28350795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorthea/pseuds/Dorthea
Summary: “Barry has always been a fighter” Joe says, "When Barry sets his mind for something, nobody can stop him. It got him through some though times, it will get him through this as well”.Oliver, pushes forwards as the door closes behind them. His feet’s feel heavy, like concrete. Like he’s been standing there for so long, that they’ve grown roots deep into the soul below. But he manages to get to the side of the hospital bed, slowly sliding into the chair. Oliver Squeezes Barry’s hand tight. Feeling the figures under his fingers. Allowing his fingers to trace down them. Getting to know, the weird scares. The hares, red marks, dancing over his pale skin like tree branches. Or… like lightning. Down his arms, and hands, and fingers. Down his cheeks, and neck. And if Oliver looks closely down his chest as well. The figures covering every inch of his body.***Team Arrow visits Barry during his 9 month long coma.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Felicity Smoak, Barry Allen & Joe West, Barry Allen & John Diggle, Barry Allen & Oliver Queen, Barry Allen & Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak, John Diggle & Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen & Joe West
Series: When lightning strikes... [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832113
Comments: 15
Kudos: 32





	Lichtenberg

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this, at 2am in the morning, wearing my new Star Labs Sweatshirt! :D

Diggle has seen people hurt a lot of time. Good men, loyal friends of his, during his military days. He’s seen them fall to their knee’s, the last of their life energy seeping out of their body. His hands has been covered in their crimson red blood, shining against his dark skin. He knows that this, is a price that comes with war. Every single one of those men, of those people, knew as well. Knew that this, could be the end of their story. The end of their battle. But, every death got the world a little closer to peace. It was worthwhile. It made a difference.  
  
When he’d returned from the war, when things had settled, he’d chosen a job where death… likely wasn’t a part of it. Protecting some, fancy billionaire family son, who’d just been stuck on an island in the china sea for five long years. He’d expected a long list of PTSD and anxiety attack’s. He’d expected someone dealing with trauma.  
  
Instead, he’d gotten a friend, who with a dark green hood, went out into Starling city at night. For a while under the name of the hood, now under the name of the Arrow.  
  
What had been supposed to be a simple job, driving around Oliver Queen, had turned into the two of them fighting side by side. And soon enough, Felicity had joined their little team as well.  
  
To John it was almost like going back into the war. Only, this time, he wasn’t on the right side of the law. But everyone on their little team knew, what could happen. What the cost of their work could be. They never talked about it, didn’t dare mention it. But they knew.  
  
Diggle had seen it with his own eyes, the night his adventure with Oliver had started.  
  
Felicity had seen it, the night Oliver what shot by his own mother. Oliver reaching out, to the one and only person, who could help him, right then and there. She’d carried him down the stairs. Had helped dig out the bullet. Had stitched him up. And when both his heart, and the tech had failed. Felicity had kept her head cold and saved a life.  
  
That was the life of the military. Of heroes. Saviors.  
  
It was during one of those time, one of those reminders, when Diggle had meet Barry Allen. Or, at least seen him for what he really where. A smart, young man, with a passion for helping out.  
  
Barry Allen worked with the CCPD, well aware of the danger’s being a police could cause. Sure, he didn’t carry a gun, didn’t run after criminals in the darkness of night. He wasn’t on the front line, he just, found the evidence. But he had known what that could cost as well. The look in his eyes as Oliver’s hand had tightened around his throat had been one of fear. But it hadn’t been one of surprise. He’d now what could come. What he went into when he stayed in the bunker.  
  
The threat of losing both his job, and his life had been looming over him. And yet had stayed. Determent to help, because he could.  
  
Everyone knew that the threats, and the death, was a part of the job.  
  
Diggle had just never imagined this.  
  
He’d seen colleges, friends and family get killed, or hurt, in the most brutal ways. He’d seen his own cousin get struck by lightning. Watching as the effect of it caused him to stutter permanently.  
  
But picturing Barry Allen in a hospital bed, hearing Facility’s broken voice over the phone. That would haunt him for ages, in a way non of the other things ever had. Because, Barry had been struck by lightning, in his lab. Not shot down on a crime scene. Not killed by one of the people he’d sat behind bars. Barry freaking Allen had been hurt by mother nature. Comatose by incredible amounts of energy, running down his spine. His back, his legs. Travelling through him, with no care of what it might do to the young man. Not caring if he ever woke again.  
  
“Felicity is waiting for us in front of the hospital” he says carefully looking over his phone screen. “Joe and Iris just updated her. He had another seizure 30 minutes ago”.  
  
Oliver looks up, out over the road in front of them. He looks so tired. So drained. “Is he stable?”.  
  
Diggle shrugs, and pushes the phone into Oliver’s hands. “Call her and ask” he says. “I’m driving. I can’t do it myself”. He steps a little harder on the speeder. The car accelerating, picking up speed.  
  
Oliver’s hands shake as he stares at the phone screen. Thumb hovering over the call button. The green icon shining at him in the dark. So much like his hood, the darkness make it impossible to see Oliver’s face. Makes Diggle unable to read him. Help him. Oliver shakes his head, “I don’t think I can” he whispers, “I don’t want to hear Felicity’s voice”.  
  
“You care about him?” Diggle ask innocently, well aware that Oliver would never be honest about it. Knowing that Oliver would brush it off. They barely knew him. Barely even meet the kid. But there’s a flowering friendship anyways. He would know. Cause he can feel his own gut twist.  
  
Oliver shakes his head, “No. I just, feel bad about how I treated him. How I acted”.  
  
“Sure” Diggle let’s a small chuckle slip from his lips. “The big, mighty Oliver Queen just feel bad about acting like a dig. You know, that’s a new one”.  
  
Oliver puffs to Diggle’s shoulder, and growls at him. “Shut up, Diggle”.  
  
It’s a contrast, to the usually expressionless Oliver. He doesn’t care, sure. Diggle can respect that lie. But they both know, that somethings going on. Both knows that Oliver isn’t one to be vulnerable. And they both know, they can’t sleep before they’ve seen Barry with their own eyes. Hoping to see him alive and well. Running his fingers through his slightly longer hair, that Diggle knows contains more hair wax than a person going to a part in a black and white suit.  
  
“Sure thing, Mr. Queen” Diggle replies in an empty voice. 

***

Oliver can see Felicity sitting in the hospital, through the frosty glass windows. She’s slumped over, head in her hands. Her shoulders high and tense. The stress, panic, the fear and the sadness she’s feeling, all the chaos is falling off her in big, heavy drops. Wave after wave of the darkness surrounding the usually cheerful IT girl. The pink lipstick, the high pony tales, and her fancy cloths has been replaced with a more natural look. And down her cheeks are small tracks of tears. The water, glitching in the hares hospital light.  
  
“Felicity?” Diggle asks as he moves in through the door, towards the girl. Oliver right in his tracks. “Are you okay?”. The girl looks up from the floor. Her eyes red rimmed and big. Glazed over.  
  
She nods silently not meeting their eyes. “I’m fine” she whispers, her voice almost breaking as she speaks. The high-pitched happy voice, so sad, so deep, so distant. “He’s in room 143. Intensive care. I… I haven’t seen him yet. I wanted to wait for you two”.  
  
Oliver let himself sit down next to Felicity. The plastic chairs of the waiting area is hard, and uncomfortable. And he knows, Felicity has been here at least an hour. He places a careful hand over her shoulders, squeezing her tight. “Have you eaten yet?”.  
  
Felicity shakes her head, sighing. “I don’t think I can stomach anything right now”.  
  
“You should try” Diggle says, “I don’t think it’s a good idea going to see him on an empty stomach. I don’t want you fainting because of low blood sugar”.  
  
Felicity odds absently, getting to her feet and pushes Oliver’s hand away. “Sure”. Her voice is so small, so weak as she says it. Reluctantly agreeing. But she’s shaky on her feet, her head likely spinning slightly, and Oliver knows she’d faint if she didn’t get some food. Diggle knows too, as he grabs her arm to steady her. Preventing her, from taking a swan dive towards the floor.  
  
The walk towards the cafeteria is slow, but worth it. They mange to get Felicity to sit down, in a more comfortable chair. Padded, unlike most hospital chairs. They sit in the corner, near one of the windows. It’s still early, and cold outside. December always being darker. But Oliver knows that soon the sun will start creeping up from behind the clouds and shin in through this specific window. Greeting them. Making all this, a little, tiny bit easier. Even if not much.  
  
The cafeteria smells of bacon and eggs. It smells of home cooked, yet simple food.  
  
They eat in silence.

***

Oliver fears what he might seen on the other side of the door, as he stands there. In the hallway, right by room 143, it really hits Oliver that something terrible has happened. And he hesitates in pushing the door open. His stomach twisting at the though of what he might see.  
  
He’d already known Barry would be in an intensive care unit. At this point in time, he’s been here… what? 3 and a half, maybe 4 days. He’s nowhere near stable, from what Felicity has told them. It makes sense that doctor’s will want to keep an eyes on him, closely monitoring his vitals, and be nearby should anything happen.  
  
Oliver just hadn’t expected it to be this quiet.  
  
The silence leaves an panicked feeling in his body. And he isn’t sure, what to really do with himself. As the footsteps of nurses and doctors, echo’s through the building.  
  
A few doors down, Oliver can hear a distant crying. A young woman, crying over someone she loves. And Oliver, for just a seconds, imagens Felicity crying over Barry’s body. Imagens how Felicity might react to the comatose boy waiting just beyond their view. Hidden away behind a baby blue hospital door. A small, frosted window in it, allowing Oliver to watch. But he can’t see anything, but a man leaning over the bed.  
  
Oliver feels his hands get sweaty a slippery, but he takes a dep breath before finally, pushing the door handle down. And let’s the door slide open silently.  
  
The constant, reassuring sound of a bibbing heart monitor hits his ears.  
  
The man, maybe in his 50’s turns around quickly, looking over his shoulder. Clearly caught off guard by the doors creaking. Scanning over them with his dark eyes, before taking a tired breath, meeting Felicity’s eyes. “Mrs. Smoak” he nods in greeting. Dark bags hanging under his eyes. Tears shinning as the light hit them, all the way down his dark skin.  
  
Felicity nods, “Detective West, this is the friends I told you about. John Diggle and Oliver Queen” Joe’s eyes hit hard on Oliver as Felicity talks, “Barry worked closely with the three of us during his stay in Starling city. I hope it’s okay I brough them with me”.  
  
“Of course, of course” Joe mumbles, “That’s alright”. Joe nods tightly, clearly holding something in himself back. “Do you mind staying with him for a moment, I’ll need to use the restroom”.  
“That’s not a problem detective” Diggle reassures the older man with a careful smile.  
  
Joe nods in thanks, pushing himself out the hard plastic chair. Making his way towards the door. “Be careful with him, alright” Joe reminds with hard eyes at Oliver, “I’ll answer your questions when I’m back”. Felicity gives him a smile in reassurance and Joe let’s the door slide shut behind him, as he leaves the cold, and mostly quiet hospital room. Oliver finally getting a chance, to take his heart friend in.  
  
Barry is a small guy. Oliver would know. He’s had his big hands around his throat, Barry unable to do anything to defend himself. It isn’t a surprise that he looks even smaller now. But really, it’s worse than Oliver had imagined. As he looks at his friend, his tiny frame in the giant hospital bed.  
  
A mountain of soft pillows are placed under his head, holding it up. But it still leans slightly to the left. Barry’s left, not Oliver’s. Away from the doorway. Eye’s closed.  
  
His torso is hidden under a thin, pastel blue hospital gown. Baggy over his shoulders. On top, over his legs and to a little under his breast, his covered by a slightly dark blue, cotton blanket. At the top, near his arms, revealing the white fabric that the other side is created of.  
  
A blood pressure cuff is tightly rapped around his arm on one side. An oxygen reader on his ring finger, on the same arm. His hand so still, and limp, resting against the bed. Down the side of his body. The white hospital bracelet around wrist, matching the color of his pale, pale skin. It seems so unreal to Oliver, who has only known Barry for a few days. But he’d always been moving around. Never still. Never relaxing his body.  
  
Oliver, scanning Barry’s body with his eyes, finds at least one IV placed, with two ports. One of them is closed off, and if Oliver has to guess it’s used for medication of some sort. The second one is connected to a bag, filled with a clear liquid. Sine type of nutrition being pumped in Barry’s body.  
  
Thin cables come’s out from under the gown. Oliver just able to see a few of the sensors that monitors his heart, at the edge of the bare skin.  
  
But two things really stand out, a stark reminder as to seriousness of the situation.  
  
The hard plastic pip, that makes it way down Barry’s throat, and out his mouth, is a bad sign. The young male isn’t really breathing. Air forced into his lungs, at a mechanical rhythm. A machine hissing for each breath of artificial air, pumped into his lungs.  
  
And the scares…  
  
Well, more like marks.  
  
The hares, red marks, dancing over his pale skin like tree branches. Or… like lightning. Down his arms, and hands, and fingers. Down his cheeks, and neck. And if Oliver looks closely down his chest as well. The figures covering every inch of his body.  
  
Oliver sucks in a deep breath, taking the look of his friend in. It’s… hard. Unbelievable, really.  
  
“Oliver” Diggle’s hand brushes over his shoulder, Oliver head snaps towards his friend. Meet by worried eyes, “Woah, you really zooned out there, didn’t you?”.  
  
Oliver shrugs, “I… I guess. Sorry. Did you say anything?”. Oliver looks back, Felicity is leaning by Barry’s side. Her hands brushing over his, talking quietly to the younger male.  
  
“I just said, that if you need a moment with him alone, me and Felicity can wait” Diggle offers.  
  
Parts of Oliver wants to say no thanks. He still remembers the feeling of the young man’s throat in his hand. How he growled every word at him, no respect for who he was as a human being. No care in the world, for what he might think. Or if he got hurt. Only caring about the secret identity, despite that never really being a problem. No, the problem where more in the way of, keeping Felicity and Diggle safe. Thea if possible, and his mother. Never himself.  
  
And maybe, a little tiny bit, seeing how Felicity had fallen into his arms had hurt too.  
  
Oliver had been green, both fictively and literally.  
  
Another part of Oliver wanted to say yes. Watching as his friends would leave the room. Remembering how, despite everything Oliver did wrong, Barry never got scared to put Oliver in place. Saying ‘Mr. Queen’ in the way, with so much power and confidence. Despite having just gasped for air. And how Barry had keep helping, even after Oliver’s secret had been revealed.  
  
The new mask, the one he’d packed together with the suit, despite knowing he wouldn’t need it, had been a great gift. And Oliver had known for ages, that he needed a real mask. The face paint really wouldn’t hold up forever.  
  
No matter how hard Oliver had been towards Barry Allen, Barry had attempted to be his friend.  
  
“That…” Oliver nods, his words lost. “That would be nice”.  
  
Diggle squeezes his shoulder tight, Felicity reminding him that their just right outside. Ready to help, and ready to be his friends, if he needs it. If he needs a shoulder to cry on.  
  
Oliver, pushes forwards as the door closes behind them. His feet’s feel heavy, like concrete. Like he’s been standing there for so long, that they’ve grown roots deep into the soul below. But he manages to get to the side of the hospital bed, slowly sliding into the chair that Joe had been using. The small amounts of residual heat, making Oliver’s heart ache. A reminder of the heat from his father’s body, as they’d been on the open water for days. In the darkness. More dead than alive. Yet, a small amount of comfort followed. Oliver back, leaning stiffly against the rough plastic.  
  
He rests his hands on each other, his elbows on his knees. Looking more down into the floor, than at Barry himself. “Hey Barry. It’s… uh… me, Oliver. Oliver Queen”.  
  
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t acting very mature while you were in Starling City. I never really do. On the island, there weren’t time for feelings, or emotions. The thoughts hunted us in the, deep darkness of the forest on cold nights, sure. But, if we let them in, we were dead.  
  
Getting back from the island, wasn’t easy. And sometimes I still, defend and protect myself by closing off towards the feelings that I and other people deal with.  
  
Other times, I take them in a little too deeply. Like, you and Felicity”. Oliver shakes his head, as the words come out. He isn’t sure it’s making any sense. It isn’t, he knows. But he hopes Barry can get something out of it, that does make sense. If he can hear him that is.  
  
Not everyone in a coma can. And so, knowing that, Oliver does something he might regret. With a shaky hand, he moves. Placing his own big rough on, and Barry’s pale, small hand.  
  
“That doesn’t mean that what I did was right. Sorry. I hope you can forgive me”.  
  
Oliver Squeezes Barry’s hand tight. Feeling the figures under his fingers. Allowing his fingers to trace down them. Getting to know, the weird scares.  
  
“Barry isn’t one to hold grudges” Joe’s voice scares him, “I know, that no matter what you might think you’ve done, Barry has forgiven you. If he was ever mad at you in the first place”. Joe takes a few heavy steps into the hospital room, pulling out a chair next to Oliver. “Their called Lichtenberg figures” he points out. Nodding towards the scares down Barry’s arms. “His blood vessels burst from electric discharge and heat. The scar branches out across his body, like the limbs of a tree, tracing the path the electricity took at it traveled through him” Joe explains, “At least, if I understand it right. But they aren’t permanent, they’ll be gone soon. Already fading”.  
  
“I’m sorry about what happen to him” Oliver says, quietly. His voice almost shaky. “It must be hard as a father, to watch you son in a coma. I hope the best for him”.  
  
“Barry has always been a fighter” Joe says, “I told you friends that too. When Barry sets his mind for something, nobody can stop him. It got him through some though times, it will get him through this as well”.  
  
“Will there be any, long term side effects?” Oliver askes, looking over Joe. His eyes running with water yet again, a cup of hot damping coffee in his hands.  
  
“It’s too early to tell”.

***

“I’m staying” Felicity says as they go back to the hotel, late the night. Having spent whole the day, by Barry’s side. Telling him about anything, and nothing. About their life and hobbies. Oliver told him about Thea, Oliver’s sister. Felicity about the time Oliver had been shot and showed up, in the back seat of her small car. “You heard the doctors, he might not pull through, and if he does, there’s no telling in what state he’ll be. I can’t leave him. Not right now”.  
  
“The team need’s you Felicity” Oliver points out, leaning towards the hotel wall. “We need our hacker. Without you, how would we get the important information we need?”.  
  
“You did just fine before I came into the picture” Felicity’s voice is small and shaky. “I… I can’t leave, knowing he could die at any moment. I can’t leave without a chance to say goodbye. I’m staying. I…”.  
  
Oliver nods, “Of course you’re staying. We need someone to keep us updated”.  
  
“Thank Oliver” Felicity says with a tired smile, “That means a lot. And of course, I’ll keep you two posted, we’re all his friends, not just me”.  
  
“And if you need anything…” Diggle says carefully sitting down next to Felicity on the bed, “We’re just a call away”.


End file.
